SeminarRecording AvailableCognition

Applying Structural Alignment theory to Early Verb Learning

Schedule
Thursday, February 2, 2023
12:00 UTC
Jane Childers

Prof

Trinity University

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Host: Analogical Minds

Recording

Event Information

Recording

Available

Host

Analogical Minds

Duration

90 minutes

Abstract

Learning verbs is difficult and critical to learning one's native language. Children appear to benefit from seeing multiple events and comparing them to each other, and structural alignment theory provides a good theoretical framework to guide research into how preschool children may be comparing events as they learn new verbs. The talk will include 6 studies of early verb learning that make use of eye-tracking procedures as well as other behavioral (pointing) procedures, and that test key predictions from SA theory including the prediction that seeing similar examples before more varied examples helps observers learn how to compare (progressive alignment) and the prediction that when events have very low alignability with other events, that is one cue that the events should be ignored. Whether or how statistical learning may also be at work will be considered.

Topics

alignabilitybehavioural proceduresearly verb learningevent comparisoneye-trackingpreschool childrenprogressive alignmentstatistical learningstructural alignment theory

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